Why Weight Training?

The Ann Arbor News interviewed me for their BE Healthy monthly magazine back in March. In that article, I outlined 10 Benefits of Strength Training. Here they are again.

10 Benefits of Strength Training
1. Increase your metabolic rate to burn more calories all day
2. Increase and restore bone density
3. Increase muscle mass, strength and endurance
4. Improve balance, flexibility and mobility
5. Prevent injuries
6. Foster rehabilitation and recovery after an injury
7. Decrease risk of coronary disease
8. Boost performance in sports and exercise
9. Maintain strength and fitness as you age
10. Feel better and look better

Those are 10 great reasons to incorporate strength training in your workout! Let me know if you need tips, pointers, or a workout designed especially for you.

Why the Scale Lies

It is so easy to get frustrated with the scale when eating right, and exercising, and doing everything you know should work. Truth is, the scale lies! I came across an excellent article on why you should not put too much stock in the number on the scale and I've pasted it in below in its entirety for your reading pleasure.

"We’ve been told over an over again that daily weighing is unnecessary, yet many of us can’t resist peeking at that number every morning. If you just can’t bring yourself to toss the scale in the trash, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the factors that influence it’s readings. From water retention to glycogen storage and changes in lean body mass, daily weight fluctuations are normal. They are not indicators of your success or failure. Once you understand how these mechanisms work, you can free yourself from the daily battle with the bathroom scale.

Water makes up about 60% of total body mass. Normal fluctuations in the body’s water content can send scale-watchers into a tailspin if they don’t understand what’s happening. Two factors influencing water retention are water consumption and salt intake. Strange as it sounds, the less water you drink, the more of it your body retains. If you are even slightly dehydrated your body will hang onto it’s water supplies with a vengeance, possibly causing the number on the scale to inch upward. The solution is to drink plenty of water.

Excess salt (sodium) can also play a big role in water retention. A single teaspoon of salt contains over 2,000 mg of sodium. Generally, we should only eat between 1,000 and 3,000 mg of sodium a day, so it’s easy to go overboard. Sodium is a sneaky substance. You would expect it to be most highly concentrated in salty chips, nuts, and crackers. However, a food doesn’t have to taste salty to be loaded with sodium. A half cup of instant pudding actually contains nearly four times as much sodium as an ounce of salted nuts, 460 mg in the pudding versus 123 mg in the nuts. The more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is to have a high sodium content. That’s why, when it comes to eating, it’s wise to stick mainly to the basics: fruits, vegetables, lean meat, beans, and whole grains. Be sure to read the labels on canned foods, boxed mixes, and frozen dinners.

Women may also retain several pounds of water prior to menstruation. This is very common and the weight will likely disappear as quickly as it arrives. Pre-menstrual water-weight gain can be minimized by drinking plenty of water, maintaining an exercise program, and keeping high-sodium processed foods to a minimum.

Another factor that can influence the scale is glycogen. Think of glycogen as a fuel tank full of stored carbohydrate. Some glycogen is stored in the liver and some is stored the muscles themselves. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound and it’s packaged with 3-4 pounds of water when it’s stored. Your glycogen supply will shrink during the day if you fail to take in enough carbohydrates. As the glycogen supply shrinks you will experience a small imperceptible increase in appetite and your body will restore this fuel reserve along with it’s associated water. It’s normal to experience glycogen and water weight shifts of up to 2 pounds per day even with no changes in your calorie intake or activity level. These fluctuations have nothing to do with fat loss, although they can make for some unnecessarily dramatic weigh-ins if you’re prone to obsessing over the number on the scale.

Otherwise rational people also tend to forget about the actual weight of the food they eat. For this reason, it’s wise to weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you’ve had anything to eat or drink. Swallowing a bunch of food before you step on the scale is no different than putting a bunch of rocks in your pocket. The 5 pounds that you gain right after a huge dinner is not fat. It’s the actual weight of everything you’ve had to eat and drink. The added weight of the meal will be gone several hours later when you’ve finished digesting it.

Exercise physiologists tell us that in order to store one pound of fat, you need to eat 3,500 calories more than your body is able to burn. In other words, to actually store the above dinner as 5 pounds of fat, it would have to contain a whopping 17,500 calories. This is not likely, in fact it’s not humanly possible. So when the scale goes up 3 or 4 pounds overnight, rest easy, it’s likely to be water, glycogen, and the weight of your dinner. Keep in mind that the 3,500 calorie rule works in reverse also. In order to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. Generally, it’s only possible to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. When you follow a very low calorie diet that causes your weight to drop 10 pounds in 7 days, it’s physically impossible for all of that to be fat. What you’re really losing is water, glycogen, and muscle.

This brings us to the scale’s sneakiest attribute. It doesn’t just weigh fat. It weighs muscle, bone, water, internal organs and all. When you lose "weight," that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve lost fat. In fact, the scale has no way of telling you what you’ve lost (or gained). Losing muscle is nothing to celebrate. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns, even when you’re just sitting around. That’s one reason why a fit, active person is able to eat considerably more food than the dieter who is unwittingly destroying muscle tissue.

Robin Landis, author of "Body Fueling," compares fat and muscles to feathers and gold. One pound of fat is like a big fluffy, lumpy bunch of feathers, and one pound of muscle is small and valuable like a piece of gold. Obviously, you want to lose the dumpy, bulky feathers and keep the sleek beautiful gold. The problem with the scale is that it doesn’t differentiate between the two. It can’t tell you how much of your total body weight is lean tissue and how much is fat. There are several other measuring techniques that can accomplish this, although they vary in convenience, accuracy, and cost. Skin-fold calipers pinch and measure fat folds at various locations on the body, hydrostatic (or underwater) weighing involves exhaling all of the air from your lungs before being lowered into a tank of water, and bioelectrical impedance measures the degree to which your body fat impedes a mild electrical current.

If the thought of being pinched, dunked, or gently zapped just doesn’t appeal to you, don’t worry. The best measurement tool of all turns out to be your very own eyes. How do you look? How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? Are your rings looser? Do your muscles feel firmer? These are the true measurements of success. If you are exercising and eating right, don’t be discouraged by a small gain on the scale. Fluctuations are perfectly normal. Expect them to happen and take them in stride. It’s a matter of mind over scale."

Here's the site that this great article came from

No time to exercise?

Every woman over 40 can probably quickly and easily list ten great reasons to excercise. But if the benefits of exercise are so clearly to all of us, why isn't every woman out there doing what she knows is best?

"The number one barrier we hear is 'I don't have the time,'" says Bess H. Marcus, PhD, who directs the Physical Activity Research Center at Brown University Medical School in Providence, RI. The center conducts scientific research on various aspects of physical activity and health.

That may be due to the mistaken belief that physical activity means hard, intense exercise, the kind that makes you drip with sweat and leaves your muscles aching the next morning. Did you know that you can gain significant benefits in as little as 30 minutes a day of physical activity? That could include some vigorous cleaning, a walk in the mall, or a fun exercise class with friends. Studies have also shown that breaking exercise into smaller increments that add up to 30 minutes is fine too. if you re trying to lose weight you need to increase the amount of physical activity you get (and decrease the amount you eat). But if you're focused on health, 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activity is enough.)

Time is a factor for all of us, but the simple truth is while you can't get more hours in a day, you can nearly guarantee yourself more days, and more quality time, if you set aside 30 minutes to take care of yourself today.

- Write physical activity into your schedule
- but stay flexible enough to roll with the punches
- get away from all-or-nothing thinking
- make exercise a priority

Fitness Over 40 is Achievable! Here's a Testimonial

Depending on how long you've been sitting on that couch, fitness can look like an unreachable goal. It isn't, and here's proof in a testimonial from a 47 year old woman who neglected fitness until an upcoming vacation pressed the issue. Trust me - if she can do it so can you!

"In early 2007, friends and I made plans to raft in and hike out of the Grand Canyon. It’s a 10 mile hike with a mile vertical climb. I wanted to go, but knew in the physical shape I was in that I’d need a helicopter to get out of the canyon. I had about 6 months to do something! In desperation, I walked into Gold’s Gym and signed up. By chance (or divine intervention?) the person at the desk suggested I meet with Debra Clark for some personal training, which I did.

Debra met me where I was – 40 +, overweight and really out of shape. Without a hint of criticism or condescension, she designed a workout for me that was a challenge, but that I could do. She explained the logic behind what she had me do, kept after me to do the moves with correct form, and always, always, always was encouraging.

In just a few weeks, I noticed marked changes in both my body, and my attitude. I was gaining muscle, balance and coordination and losing weight and my dread of exercise. I looked forward to my twice-a-week training sessions where Debra worked with me to be sure my legs were strong enough for my fast approaching hike.

When I left for the trip, I was 40 pounds lighter, and in the best shape I’d been in since high school. The rafting trip was a blast, and I made the hike out in good time and without pain. My friends nearly passed out at the top rim while I ran around getting everyone food and drinks etc because I felt fine. I could have run back down and done it again, thanks to Debra!

Investing in personal training is one of the smartest things I’ve ever done for myself. I meet with Debra once a week now to maintain what I’ve gained, and because I enjoy it. She is encyclopedic in her knowledge of health and fitness, and remains a constant encouragement to maintain my health."

Welcome to Fit Chicks!

It's time. I've amassed a wealth of knowledge on Finess for Women Over 40 through reading, teaching, and years of practical experience. I know what works, and what doesn't. I know what exercises get results. I know how to make exercising and getting fit fun. And now I want to share this information with a wider audience.
If you're 40+ and female, bookmark this page and stay tuned.